Medical-Legal and Ethical Issues Flashcards
7 cards from real CCHP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Medical-Legal and Ethical Issues flashcards as text
A correctional physician is asked by administration to certify an inmate as 'medically cleared' for solitary confinement despite documented serious mental illness. The most ethical response is to:
Answer: Provide an honest clinical assessment even if it conflicts with administrative preferences
Clinicians must provide honest clinical assessments regardless of institutional pressure; falsifying or compromising medical opinions violates professional ethics.
The legal doctrine of 'respondeat superior' is relevant to correctional health care because it means:
Answer: Employers can be held liable for the negligent acts of their employees
Respondeat superior holds employers vicariously liable for negligent acts of employees performed within the scope of employment.
Under the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), what is a correctional health worker's role when a patient discloses sexual abuse?
Answer: Report the disclosure to PREA-designated staff and provide medical evaluation and treatment
PREA mandates that facilities investigate all reports of sexual abuse and that healthcare staff provide immediate medical care and comply with reporting requirements.
An incarcerated patient is diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Ethically and legally, the provider may:
Answer: Involuntarily treat the patient to protect public health even without consent
Active TB is a public health emergency that legally justifies involuntary treatment to prevent spread, overriding individual autonomy in most jurisdictions.
Which of the following best describes 'scope of practice' violations in correctional nursing?
Answer: Performing a procedure that is outside the nurse's license or training
Scope of practice violations occur when a provider performs tasks that exceed the boundaries defined by their license, training, and applicable law.
A correctional health program is evaluating its ethics compliance. Which metric BEST reflects adherence to the principle of justice in delivering care?
Answer: Consistency of care provided regardless of an inmate's offense type or behavior
Justice requires that healthcare resources be distributed equitably without regard to moral judgments about a patient's crime or behavior.
A correctional physician suspects an inmate is malingering to avoid a court appearance. The most ethical clinical approach is to:
Answer: Conduct a thorough objective clinical evaluation and document findings accurately
Suspected malingering does not justify withholding evaluation; clinicians must perform objective assessments and document findings without bias.